Funeral of Barry Thiele (August 28, 2017)

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: 1 Peter 1:3
Theme: New Birth- In Heaven


Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Barry, Michael, Lynette, and especially you, Kath,

Barry is at rest. His soul is in the presence of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is at peace. The authority to say that is based on the promise God made to Barry in his baptism. Baptism, you see, doesn’t require any certain level of cognitive ability. It only requires a beating heart and a living soul upon which the Holy Spirit can work. In baptism, the Holy Spirit promises to create spiritual life, He washes away the guilt of original sin, He makes an individual part of the family of God, and He promises the eternal inheritance of heaven. The fulfillment of those promises is what we recognize and celebrate today.

Baptism, of course, isn’t a magical or independent ritual. The power lies in the redeeming work of Jesus. He alone has the power to forgive sins because of His crucifixion and resurrection. Therefore, He says to all who are reflecting on mortality, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms…I am going there to prepare a place for you.”1 He says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”2 We need not fear even death itself, because Christ has shattered its power.

God gives life. He created it from nothing. He sustains it by His power and presence. Barry wasn’t expected to live. From a human point of view the circumstances were bleak. Arrangements were being made accordingly. It was shocking news for Kath and Keith. Horrifying! The prospect of a life ended before it began was dark and foreboding. Grief had already set in. But God had other plans. Barry had a life to live, a life to share, and a lot to offer. Why God allows disability is a question we cannot answer. We live in a fallen world. Yet, surely, we must be humble enough to accept that what we consider normal physical or mental capacity doesn’t prevent God from blessing those with other abilities or limitations. The stresses and anxieties we bear often do not worry them.

Imagine the effect Barry had on the staff at Minda Homes over those many years. The community there became his family. Imagine the love and joy he shared with the other residents. He couldn’t articulate what he was thinking, but expressions of love don’t require words. Barry treasured aspects of life that most of us take for granted. Barry certainly wasn’t taken granted by his Lord. Barry’s physical birth was difficult but that doesn’t affect the life of the soul. Remember the words of Scripture we heard earlier, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you.”3


Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”4 Everything stands or falls with this promise. Grace carries us over the threshold and nothing else. Barry had neither a disadvantage nor a leg up in regard to being received into God’s presence. We are all sinners and only the undeserved mercy of God suffices. All of our material assets and personal accomplishments fade into the background. Only the merit of Christ matters.

Today we give thanks even in the midst of our grief. And we carry no false hopes about God’s intentions. Paul once wrote to the Thessalonians saying, “We do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.”5 Dear friends, to grieve without hope is to feel the bitterness of separation without the expectation of reunion. It is to concede that the coldness of death is the final reality. Left to our own devices it is the conclusion we always reach. Death is a burden that is too heavy for us to bear alone. The Holy Spirit understands that. He reminds us of the empty tomb. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid…I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”6

Barry liked to go riding in the car. It seems that’s when he was most expressive with his emotions. Barry has now taken his final journey. Escorted by angels his soul has been transported into the presence of the triune God, the fellowship of the saints and the company of angels. He’s been released from every infirmity of body, mind, and spirit. He has no burdens, cares, or frustrations. He awaits the perfecting of his body and that great and glorious day of the resurrection of all flesh when Christ comes again in power.

Kath, it’s never easy when a child dies before a parent. It seems to subvert the expected order of things. But the compassion of God is not restricted by what we deem to be proper chronology. Barry has now received the heavenly inheritance that does not perish, spoil, or fade. He has been freed. He is embraced in the love of Christ and has a joy beyond our knowing. He is home and he has no regrets. Thanks be to God! Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Christian Burial of Barry Keith Thiele
28 August 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 John 14:1-2
2 John 14:27
3 1 Peter 1:3-4
4 John 11:25-26
5 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
6 Revelation 1:17-18